As the days went by, the news that nobody could stop the villains or predict which schools they'd go to, and they kept going, was constant. They took all of the hero schools in Japan. The four of them were not the only ones who had made it out. A boy and girl had snuck off campus, and were the only remaining students with quirks at Shiketsu. They broke the rules but everyone else got punishment in the form of their quirks being stolen.
Roger came home during the nights after he ended up passing out from exhaustion and low blood sugar. So now he went home every night, but still worked besides eating, sleeping and showering. Luffy had barely seen him at all since coming home.
The four constantly, compulsively made sure their quirks were still there. Their phones and belongings had been returned as the students all went home. Nobody texted with the four of them besides Nami and Hiyori. They said everyone else was consumed with jealousy over them having their quirks and everyone else not. It wasn't said whether they were angry at Luffy. They wouldn't answer that, so Luffy assumed that was the case. But he didn't regret going for his friends and not taking up precious seconds to go to everybody else.
If he'd stayed that long, he would have been taken and quirkless, as well. And he was glad he wasn't. He may have failed the provisional license exam, but he had his quirk still. He had a second and third chance. He wasn't so sad about it anymore. He was thoroughly distracted by the more dire situation.
He would be hurt by it once everything was figured out. But that might be a while. The heroes knew that there could be a time limit to getting the kids' quirks back, if it was even possible now.
One day, a week after, Roger came home early, looking troubled but also in a slightly better mood than when Luffy had last seen him the night before. Rouge asked what had happened that day. She was still going to work, but Ace and Sabo stayed home with the teens that were seeming more and more unlikely to be targets.
"We have a theory, but still can't act on it yet," Roger said, kissing his wife on the cheek before heading into the kitchen for a glass of water. He didn't wait for anybody to ask what had happened. "Those artificial quirks from a couple months back that fizzled away. They might not be artificial."
Sabo's eyes widened. "You mean the stolen quirks?"
"Yeah. The ingestible quirk fruits, as they have been reported to look that way, might be created from stolen quirks. There are thousands of members in the Villain Alliance. Quirks are strange and diverse. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a quirk doing this. I can't think of any science based technique to pull that off." Then he sighed. "But we can't tell the general public. Those stolen quirks could already be gone for good. We need to find them fast to get them back.
"And even then, I'm sure not everybody will get theirs back. If anything, those in Japan would get them back. We were the first place hit, after all." They all looked sad, Luffy looking guilty.
Law said, "It would have been impossible to save everybody in our dorm. You'd have left too late and been taken, too." Luffy knew he was right, and nodded. It didn't make him feel less guilty for his friends. They still wouldn't talk to him. He was upset at this, but it made sense. He was nothing, of course they didn't want to talk to him.
They probably thought he was weak for failing the easy exam. Maybe they were embarrassed to talk to him. That was probably it. It made sense after all. So, he was feeling pretty down.
Law decided to practice his quirk to pass time, trying new things, weird things that Luffy suggested. He watched him work from the treehouse. Ace guarded those inside and Sabo watched them outside. Luffy knew they were getting stir crazy, but he was their little brother and would protect him, just like he'd protect them. From anything. They were his precious brothers.
When he wasn't helping Law, Luffy was working on his own quirk, trying to send a lot of objects somewhere else at a time. And it was going well. But not perfectly. Some would appear too soon. As in, he wanted to send all of the tools and equipment and old, nostalgic toys in the yard to one side. Most would make it the whole way, but others would pop out too soon, half the distance.
So, practice practice practice. Zoro and Sanji spent a lot of their time with Ace in the training room. Nobody knew about Luffy and Law's heartfelt conversation. And it wasn't that that kept Luffy sticking to Law. He wanted to help him improve. He really did.
But he was getting irritated with his quirk, and wanted something offensive. He wanted to attack somehow, so the tallest of the four took a shovel from Luffy's pile of objects, and made a ROOM around himself and a pile of branches that had fallen off of the big tree in a storm. He tried slicing them apart in his room, but only a scratch was made. But it was from a distance.
Law smiled and triumphed, and Luffy sent him a thumbs up. Luffy should probably exercise with Zoro and Sanji. He went inside and offered Law to come with him. He was hesitant, maybe because he wasn't as fit as the other three were. Though it had been a while since Luffy trained, so he might be sluggish, too.
Ace was in there, and Zoro and Sanji were laying on the mat, soaked in sweat and panting. Ace looked fine. "Hey, Lu! Wanna train. And Law, too?" He wore a sadistic look, and Law gulped. Luffy nodded, and Ace tied his longer hair back. He needed a haircut. And so did Luffy. But his wasn't too long to interfere with sight.
He and Ace fought viciously, Luffy dodging okay, but a close call was to his cheek. He kicked Ace's leg and then threw him over his shoulder, only to be grabbed by the back of his shirt and slammed down himself. He rolled out of the way from a kick and went at him again. Byt the end, Luffy was laying on the mat as well.
Law did even worse, and Ace was brutal. Luffy didn't know why, and was frowning. Then Law joined them on the floor. All of them were exhausted.
Then a light opened up below only Luffy, and he was too shocked to teleport out of it. He disappeared, but not before Law grabbed onto his hand and went with him. Zoro and Sanji did not come, nor did Ace.
-x-
They both landed hard on the ground, and in their shock were cuffed immediately, not even noticing there were people around. "No! Let go of him!" Law shouted when Luffy was dragged away by his hair. It was too long. He kicked and tried to get out of the hold, but the cuffs were very heavy, and he was unable to use his quirk.
Was it due to his fear? Was it leaving him again? When he needed it most? Or was it the handcuffs? He hoped it was the latter. He couldn't deal with it abandoning him again. Law was being dragged, too, though. Both of them were thrown onto chairs and strapped down. Law continued to shout profanities, his own quirk not working right.
Luffy was silent, unable to even whimper in fear. Was his quirk going to be taken away? He started to thrash, but he couldn't get out. And couldn't teleport. He needed that quirk now more than ever, and it wasn't coming. Could he get out of this not using it? He was smart, right? But the cuffs were too heavy. At least three times his own weight. How were they so heavy?
He looked down and saw that it was "66" printed on it. Germa 66 worked with the villains? He had to remember this important information! Law was still screaming and kicking, but he was also strapped down. Luffy was approached by a man with purple hair. He was pale and wore a robe. He was beyond creepy.
Luffy was breathing shallowly, so scared. "Oh, you're the one Doflamingo had fun with. Both of you," the man said. Luffy shut his eyes tightly not wanting to remember. He didn't recognize the name personally, but had heard it in passing. A hand was pressed to Luffy's chest and his eyes flew open.
He felt a cold feeling before a little blue light came out of him and he felt all his energy drain away. He was awake just long enough to hear Law shout at them to get their hands off of him. Then he was asleep, his quirk gone.
-x-
Law was panicking. They fucking took Luffy's quirk! And it was taken away, down the hall and through a thick door. He wouldn't let them take it. Luffy would be devastated, and he wouldn't allow that. The quirk thief didn't take long to come back and go to Law. He did the same to Law even as he bit him and drew blood.
He was smacked across the face. He saw a scalpel, but couldn't reach it. Then his own quirk was stolen. But he stayed awake, even though his vision blurred. He bit his tongue hard enough for it to bleed to keep himself awake. He had to get their quirks back before they were gone for good. Law didn't want to lose his either. And he wouldn't.
He managed to dislocate his shoulder to just barely reach the scalpel. His parents were doctors, he knew how to fix it. He managed to shove the scalpel through the clasped area of the straps, breaking them open. He had to leave Luffy there. No, he couldn't.
He got out of the cuffs and straps, and was free. He heard footsteps coming back through the only exit in the room. Neither of them could teleport out. He got Luffy out of the chair and used the straps to tie him to Law's back. It was lucky he was so light. Maybe so light it was concerning. But he couldn't focus on that now.
He grabbed the scalpel, the only weapon in the room that he could find. He was exhausted, but was glad Zoro and Sanji weren't there. Hopefully they didn't come at all. He hid behind the door, and when the guy came back in, Law came up behind him. He put the scalpel at his throat. "You scream you die," Law hissed. At least if Luffy woke up, he wouldn't make any noise.
When the guy went to grab Law's arm, he slammed a strong fist into the back of his head, hard. Hard enough to injure him and knock him out. He was thankful but surprised. But he didn't let it distract him too much. He dragged the body and set it behind the chair Luffy had been in. He ran down the hall, still holding the small weapon. The lights were green. He saw lots of tech, all with Germa 66's logo.
Luffy was still limp on his back, but tied tightly. Securely. He ran down the hall, his shoes off from fighting. So it was quiet. He hid from anyone walking around. There were a lot of people here. He had to hurry before the guy that was knocked out woke up. He hid more and more, behind walls and corners. Looking for anything that looked like either a glowing ball, or a weird looking fruit.
He found a room that was full of guards, and behind it a large glass case that reached the entire room and up to the ceiling. He was assuming their quirks were the nearest to the ground. There had to be hundreds of thousands of quiks only in this room. And he had a good idea once Luffy got his quirk back.
They'd send these fruits back to the heroes and then leave themselves, even if it's by violence or excessive force. As long as they got their quirks and out. If they couldn't get the fruits, then that was a shame. They came first, though. He took off his belt and managed to rip off the buckle and threw it down the hall.
It was a stupid plan, and nobody noticed. He cursed under his breath, not knowing what to do next. If he got the fruit, he could chop everyone in half. He hadn't used it on people, but he would. He had to. So, he just ran inside, shoving people out of the way, Luffy still limp on his back. He grabbed for the nearest fruit, which had a label on it. "Operation". He didn't know what that meant, but the "Teleportation" fruit was right next to it.
He barely ducked beneath a scythe. He recognized that. So, Killer's quirk was already taken. He punched a hole in the glass bloodying his fist. When more people came in, Law had to dodged and didn't reach his quirk. His fighting mostly consisted of dodging hits, just trying to channel Luffy and get to his fruit.
He kicked one of the guy's knees in and he crashed into the glass. Law reached the fruit/quirk and ate it. It tasted awful, but he felt warm again, no longer chilling cold. He grabbed a shard of glass, bloodying his hand, and made a ROOM. Everyone tried to get out, but he slashed the glass shard in the air and chopped everybody but himself and Luffy in half, though they were still alive.
He chopped their arms off so they couldn't use their quirks. All of them were screaming, but Luffy was still asleep. Law slipped on the glass, and started to fall backwards. If he landed on his back, Luffy would be stabbed, so he turned himself around fast enough and landed in the glass, pieces digging into his face.
He got up, face bleeding, and unstrapped Luffy, shaking him hard and shouting his name. He didn't wake up. Law kept making ROOMs but they were draining him. It looked like the new move was exhausting. Well, it was necessary.
"LUFFY! WAKE UP!" He didn't. Law was scared now. There was no exit out of this room. Would his search for their quirks be the death of them? Had he killed Luffy? But he was doing his best not to panic. He finally broke one of his fingers to wake him up. "Luffy, eat this. I'm sorry, eat this now!" he shouted.
The loud noises were creating a panic attack. Law kept fighting as Luffy calmed himself down and ate the fruit. He couldn't sign quick enough. "Get the fruits out of here! Get them back!" Law shouted. He felt bad for being so loud, but he was losing time and energy. When they got out of there (if they did), he had no doubt Luffy would have a panic attack. A bad one.
But he stood up, legs shaky and touched the entire glass case, all of the fruits disappearing, leaving the massive room empty besides broken glass and bodies. "NO!" the villains who were chopped off shouted. "Luffy, get us out of here!" But he was frozen in fear, and Law turned to see who he was looking at.
"Heh, my two little stress relievers. Fancy seeing you here," Doflamingo said. Law couldn't help the spike of fear that lanced through him, too. Would they die from this guy because of their pasts with him?
-x-
Luffy didn't know what was happening, just that Law was covered in blood, his face was bleeding too. And Luffy's finger hurt an he felt like he was about to fall to the ground, his legs feeling like noodles. He teleported all of the fruits out like Law had told him to. He couldn't help his reaction to the loud noises.
His own brain was sabotaging this. He was about to teleport them out when his quirk ceased. It didn't work anymore, and he knew why. He was there. In the doorway. The one with the pink, feathery jacket. The one that tortured him for three long days. Left him in a broken state.
"Heh, my two little stress relievers. Fancy seeing you here," he said with a cruel laugh. It was scary, not seeing his eyes. He looked much the same. Law was looking exhausted, and tried making a ROOM, but it was so tiny it didn't do a thing. And he was shaking, too. Out of fear from his wide eyes.
But Luffy was on the cusp of a violent flashback. No! You can't! Keep fighting! Don't let him beat you again! a small voice said. One he recognized. The last voice of his he'd ever heard. Telling him to not lose. Not die, or become worse than he already was. But he was shaking and had fallen on his butt on the floor.
Both of them were scared of him. Luffy tried teleporting, but nothing happened. He couldn't get them out, he was going to get both of them killed or worse. He wanted to apologize to Law, but he couldn't do it.
"Aren't you going to say something? Or did my torture damage you too much," the enemy said. His nightmare. The one who killed his old self and replaced it with a shell that looked similar. Only with scars and burns. "I have to say you healed quite well. All things considered. I thought you'd never be able to use your left side again."
Luffy had tears in his eyes. "Is your fear getting in the way again?" His face crumpled in shame.
"Don't listen to him!" Law said, though his voice was shaking, too. Then both of them were trapped in strings. Law dropped the shard of glass he'd been fighting with. Luffy writhed, entering a new flashback that blended with reality. He was little now. The man towered over him. He was trapped in string, but was on the floor. He was screaming and crying, though the actual him was silent.
He felt dizzy and scared and confused. He wanted to go home. He wanted this guy to go away. He wanted him to go to jail forever. But his quirk didn't work anymore. Law tried to grab his hand, but both were too wrapped up in string - thread - to move at all other than shake in fear as their tormentor and abuser walked closer.
"Don't scream so loud, I'm only just beginning-"
"Looks like your quirk is useless, huh?"
"This will be fun. I've never use hydrofluoric acid on a person before-"
When he opened his eyes, the man was right above him. Luffy was staring into his red glasses. He grabbed Luffy's arm, and he whimpered. The villain grinned, enjoying Luffy's terror. His dad would kill him if he ever found him. Luffy wanted him gone! He wanted to know his torturer was behind bars.
He moved his foot forward, and barely touched his leg. "What are you doing? Is that a kick?" he asked with a laugh that was cut off when he disappeared, going straight to his father's agency. Even if Roger wasn't there, they were tons of strong and capable heroes. But he'd also sent the quirk fruits there, too.
The strings loosened, and Law stood up. He reached down and picked Luffy up like he was a little kid and held him to his chest, since Luffy still couldn't walk well, let alone run. He was clearly weaker than Law by far. He was weak, always was and always would be. "You're not weak, you're scared and you have every right," Law said, panting, as he ran down the halls, dodging passed anyone who tried to grab them. Luffy was crying silently, wrapped around Law so he didn't fall. Law was clearly exhausted, and really bloody. Luffy had to get them out. There was no way that Law could fight or dodge everybody at that base. Luffy had to get them out.
"Luffy, be strong. I know you're strong, you believe in yourself like I believe in you, okay? You can do it! I know it," Law said between breaths and dodges. Luffy clamped his eyes shut and then they were on the couch.
Ace shouted his name, running to both of them. "Law?!" the oldest brother asked in horror at how bloody the teen was. And Luffy was completely unharmed. Law passed out, getting blood on the white carpet. An ambulance was called immediately, for both of them. Luffy was still unable to move well.
"Lu, what happened? Where did you go?" Sabo asked, carrying him outside while Ace took Law, both going to the ambulance. Zoro and Sanji were still there, thank goodness. Both of them were in the ambulance, Luffy's arms being treated. He hadn't even noticed the strings had cut him. Not deeply.
He finally let himself succumb to the flashback, and didn't remember anything else of the ride since he had to be sedated due to thrashing when someone touched him.
When he woke up, he was in a bed, but the room had blue walls and the blankets were black. It was still a hospital, but it didn't trigger any flashbacks to the last time he was laying in a hospital bed. But he wasn't covered in bandages. Just a few around his arms. He looked to the side to see Law, whose face had some stitches. Luffy didn't know what happened when he was asleep after losing his quirk.
He was ashamed. He'd been such a burden to a person who deeply cared about him. Then he noticed Rouge laying her head down on the bed, asleep. He didn't remember when he fell asleep. All he remembered was a flashback, and now he was here. He touched his mom's arm, sitting up straighter. He noticed his left pinky finger was in a cast.
"Luffy," she said, not shouting. Law was still asleep and a loud noise in a confined space wouldn't help. She hugged him and cried into his shoulder. He hugged her back. When she pulled away, Luffy signed about what happened at dad's agency. "All of the quirk fruits filled the lobby and out the doors. Then a man appeared a couple minutes later. Doflamingo, leader of the Donquixote family. One of the major villains in the alliance. He was caught."
He was the one. He tortured me. Rouge's face suddenly turned stormy, and she told him she'd be back before getting on the phone and no doubt calling Roger. She came back in not much later. She didn't address calling Roger, and changed the subject. Not to something better, but something else.
"What happened?" she asked. I got my quirk taken away. I don't remember, but I woke up to Law shouting at me to eat the fruit my quirk turned into. He was covered in blood. He protected me, and I couldn't do anything. I just sat on the floor and was shaking and crying. I'm not hero material.
"Baby, you did what you always wanted to. You didn't fight, but you got the villain and brought all of the quirk fruits back. Law did a lot, it's very clear. But you're not weak. You can be a hero," Rouge insisted.
Law said, "She's right. I panicked, too. I couldn't move. I did the fighting, but you captured Doflamingo. Avenged both of us," His voice was scratchy and he sounded so tired. His hands were bandaged from holding onto the glass shard as a weapon. He smiled at him in a sleepy way. He might be on drugs if the cuts were too bad, or there was something else wrong.
Luffy was crying, and signed an apology for being a burden. Law coughed and then said, "You could never be a burden to me." Luffy's face was red and Law's was slightly pink. He just smiled at Luffy and then fell back asleep.
He wiped his tears and looked at his mom, who was crying. "I told you somebody would love you someday," she said in a soft voice. I… told him I don't feel the same, and he was so happy that I wasn't mad, and was fine with me not liking him back that way, too. He wants me to be happy, even if it's not with him.
Law saved him. He got their quirks back, he was the reason so many kids would have theirs back, if they could sort them all. They had labels on them, he'd just barely seen.
"He's a good man," Rouge said firmly. "You sure do attract good people, Luffy. Zoro and Sanji, who have been with you through it all. You have incredible friends." Luffy nodded.
"Luffy, be strong. I know you're strong, you believe in yourself like I believe in you, okay? You can do it! I know it," Law's voice said. He had never heard someone say it with such confidence and conviction, like it was a fact and not encouragement. His family said he was strong, but it always had a trace of sympathy in it. Law just said it like it was true and nobody could dispute him.
A doctor came in to check on both of them. Rouge explained about Law waking up and then falling asleep. "His wounds are superficial and have been taken care of. A little rest and he can go home. Both of you can," the doctor said nicely. The woman walked out, saying she'd get discharge paper. Then Law's mom and dad ran in. Luffy hadn't seen them in a long time.
"What happened?" his mother asked, looking at the wounds on her son's face. Rouge said they had both been kidnapped, and Law saved Luffy, fought for him and kept them safe before Luffy teleported them back. "Luffy, right?" she asked, looking at his scars and burns with sad eyes. He nodded, and pulled the blanket over his arms. "He talks about you sometimes. In the beginning of the year, he told Lami stories about you. Thank you for being his friend. He's needed one."
Luffy was crying and nodded, wiping his eyes furiously. Law's parents went back to their son, and Rouge signed the discharge papers and got a new outfit for him. Luffy changed in the small bathroom, and looked at Law before walking out with his mom.
He would get rid of the alliance and make Law's words possibly true. Even if it was just in a moment, Luffy wanted Law to be right about him being brave. He wanted to. When he was in the car with his mom, and they got to the driveway, he signed he would be back soon, and left before she responded.
He landed at Roger's agency, which was having the fruits all hauled into large vans. Moving vans. He walked around the huge pile, hoping everyone at school got their quirks back. He found Roger, and hugged him. Roger hugged him back, saying he was so happy he was safe. "The man is in jail, and he'll never leave," he said quietly. Luffy nodded and then backed away.
That's not what I came here for. I know how to get to the alliance base. At least, one of them. I can take you there. Roger looked firm, and immediately got on the phone. Luffy was told to go home and to come back once everyone was gathered. Luffy nodded, and went home. Zoro and Sanji were there, but in their own clothes, so they must have gone home at some point.
They hugged him when he came, and he managed to not cry. "We were so worried," Sanji said. Zoro nodded. I'm glad you weren't taken. Law took care of me. Zoro said he wasn't surprised. Me neither…
"Did… he say something?" Zoro asked carefully. Luffy told him Law liked him. Zoro laughed. "Finally. I was wondering when he'd say something." So, everyone knew but Luffy. He looked down, and Zoro backtracked. It's okay. I'm not good at reading people. Zoro patted his back, and said they should go inside and get him something to eat.
He followed them in, holding both of their hands, their grips on his surprisingly tight. They were very scared, most likely. Kidnapped, again. It must have brought back old fear and painful memories. Ace and Sabo ran to him, and he got more hugs that he accepted. They were his family.
He didn't explain what had happened in detail, but gave a general summary. Then, about two hours after coming home, Roger called his phone and said they were ready. Luffy touched the thirty pro heroes and teleported them there. It was a mess, and there were chopped up people everywhere.
To their credit, none of them freaked out. It seemed like they had plans already, and Roger told Luffy to go back home, so he did. He didn't want to be there anymore. He went home and waited by his phone, hoping Law would text soon. He waited on the couch, looking patient but inwardly wanting a message already.
He did message, but it was full of typos. Probably due to his bandaged fingers.
Hey. hoe ars u?
Sorry, m hone doesn't do autpcorecy.
It's okay. I'm okay. Dad and the other pro heroes are at the base. I got them there. The fruits are all being collected. How are you?
Okay. I turned autocorrect on. My hands hurt a little but my face doesn't hurt as long as I don't smile, which I don't really do much in the first place. I'm so sorry I broke your finger. You wouldn't wake up. Luffy hadn't known Law broke his finger, but it did the trick. It didn't hurt too much, and Rouge said the doctor said it was a clean break and would heal quickly.
It doesn't hurt much. Thank you for taking care of me and getting our quirks back. Doflamingo is in jail now. Dad made sure.
Thank god. Fucking asshole.
Yeah. He was mean. Thank you for being so nice to me. I'm really happy that you believed in me. More than I do in myself. I was having flashbacks and couldn't tell what was real and wasn't. I'm sorry.
I was freaking out pretty badly, too. It wasn't just you. You're the one that got him arrested and got us out. I just took care of things while you couldn't. Doctor says the cuts won't scar as long as I put this cream on them.
What happened when I was asleep? Law explained it to him, and he curled into a ball out of embarrassment. He had to be carried around. Why did he pass out but Law didn't? Was Luffy just really that much more weak? Was that what happened to all of his classmates? Hopefully they got their quirks back. He wouldn't be surprised if some didn't.
Will you tell your dad Germa 66 was involved if he doesn't notice?
Yeah. Law said his sister wanted to play with him, and he finally got to see her, so he was going to go. Luffy said another thank you, holding in another apology. He didn't want to be annoying. Or repetitive.
Luffy looked at his broken finger. Did Law do it on his left side and his pinky since he knew that part was the most burnt? He put his phone in his pocket and went into his room. His phone was going off, his classmates finally wanting to talk to him. He ignored them and turned on his laptop.
He opened Google: what is love supposed to feel like?